| How BlackBerry Storm ‘beats’ iPhone | ||||||
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| Storm lets users edit documents | ||||
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| Coming soon: BlackBerry App Store | ||||
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Saturday, January 31, 2009
How BlackBerry Storm ‘beats’ iPhone
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Top Smart Phones
By most measures, iPhone owners should have been pleased last year when Apple sped up the phone, slashed its price and introduced a revolutionary App Store. But ask iPhone users how they would improve the device and most will have suggestions at the ready, including a longer-lasting battery, a higher-quality camera and cut-and-paste functionality.
The same is true of every phone on the market. No matter how many features manufacturers manage to pack into their pocket-sized devices, consumers inevitably want more — or less — or something just a bit different.
So, how does the current crop of smart phones measure up?
Nokia N97
With its touchscreen, physical keyboard, tons of storage and tight integration with a suite of software, Nokia's N97 is certainly a contender for the title of perfect smart phone. (Not that the company calls it a smart phone; Nokia's preferred term is "mobile computer.") Potential drawbacks include a high price (around $765, unsubsidized) and a long wait (the phone is slated to go on sale in spring 2009.) Also notable: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.
See All of the Top 10 Smart Phones
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
Before the N97 was announced, Sony Ericsson unveiled its own take on a touchscreen-turned-Qwerty keyboard phone, the Xperia X1. The phone's metal-finish body is light, yet sturdy. Users can customize the screen with panels that offer quick access to sites like Facebook. The screen lacks the iPhone's flash, though, and U.S. users will have to shell out $700 to $750, because operators aren't subsidizing it.
HTC Touch Pro
HTC is an old hand at touchscreen smart phones. Its Touch Pro marries a touchscreen with a keyboard for greater functionality, while its Touch Diamond is compact and stylish. The pros: HTC's visually striking TouchFLO 3-D software, which aims to make mobile multitasking and Web browsing as easy as on a regular computer. The cons: Downloading apps isn't quite as fun or intuitive as it is on phones from Apple. Also notable: HTC Touch Diamond.
Palm Treo Pro
Meet Palm's latest take on the Treo. The Pro's design has elicited comparisons to BlackBerrys, but Palm says the handset's productivity software, navigation features and 3G connectivity set it apart. A lack of carrier support in the U.S. means that consumers have been forced to seek out the phone online for $549. That could change soon; Sprint is rumored to be picking up the Pro for 2009. Also notable: Palm Centro.
Samsung Omnia
True to its name, the Omnia is designed to offer users anything they might want in a smart phone, including a 5-megapixel camera, FM radio and specially crafted software called TouchWiz that offers one-touch access to commonly used applications and features. Some users have called the handset's virtual keyboard challenging. Samsung's BlackJack II comes with a physical keyboard but generally trails BlackBerrys in sales.
LG Incite
LG, long a leader in multimedia phones (the Chocolate, the enV, the Viewty), is diving into the U.S. smart phone market. Its Incite sports a customizable "favorites" menu, streaming radio and a reflective screen that can double as a mirror. But its fall 2008 release, in the wake of flashier phones, may keep it from grabbing a larger audience.
BlackBerry Storm
The best thing about the Storm? It's like no other touchscreen phone. The worst thing? Ditto. Users have raved and ranted about the Storm's "clickable" touchscreen, prompting carrier Verizon to defend the phone as its best-selling device.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Meet top 10 Web billionaires
Friday, January 23, 2009
Microsoft cuts 5,000 jobs
SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp will make the first mass layoffs in its 34-year history, cutting 5,000 jobs as demand for personal computers falls and even one of the world's richest companies gets burned by the recession.The company announced the cuts on Thursday as it reported an 11 per cent drop in second-quarter profit, which fell short of Wall Street's expectations. Microsoft shares plunged more than 11 per cent.
"We're certainly in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime set of economic conditions," Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said during a conference call. With less access to credit, businesses and consumers are spending less and stretching the life span of their existing computers.
The biggest names in the technology sector have been no stranger to layoffs lately. Giants such as chip maker Intel Corp and even Google Inc are among the companies that have pulled back on jobs to hunker down in the recession.
Google also reported earnings on Thursday and said its quarterly net profit fell 68 per cent, its first such drop ever. The results were better than analysts had expected, however.
At Microsoft, the cuts appeared to reflect uncertainty about when times will get better. The company said it could not issue a forecast for earnings and profits for the rest of the year.
The software maker was already facing tough problems, among them its inability to snag a significant share of the lucrative Web search advertising market from leader Google Inc. It tried to fix this by buying Yahoo Inc and pouring money into its own technology, all the while relying on Office programmes such as Word and Excel, and on Windows to keep bringing home huge profits.
Now, with the recession pinching software earnings, Microsoft's problems seem even harder to fix. Microsoft, which has $20.7 billion in cash on hand, said its business prospects were hurt by the deteriorating global economy and lower revenue from software for PCs. The holiday quarter of 2008 was the worst for the PC market since 2002, with computer shipments declining about a half of 1 per cent, according to IDC, a technology research group.
Making matters worse, the one type of PC consumers have warmed to in tight times -- the low-cost, low-power "netbook" -- actually cut further into Microsoft's earnings. The tiny portable computers run on Windows XP, which is older and less profitable for Microsoft than Windows Vista.
The layoffs, starting with 1,400 on Thursday, will affect workers in research and development, marketing, sales, finance, legal and corporate a
ffairs, human resources and information technology, and mostly in Redmond, Washington, where the company is based. The cuts are expected to touch virtually every division and include the computer programmers who write code for existing and future applications.
Employees reached by The Associated Press declined to comment on the news, saying it was against company policy to speak to reporters. Microsoft had never done layoffs on this scale before -- it had only made relatively limited staff cuts after acquiring companies or reorganising product groups.
The software maker won't stop hiring entirely. During the conference call, Ballmer said the company will add new jobs in the next 18 months to support key areas, including Web search, so the total number of employees will drop by 2,000 to 3,000. Microsoft employs 94,000 people overall.
"I would have expected a more aggressive cut," said Cowen and Co analyst Walter Pritchard. "They're trying to have their cake and eat it too, in terms of not cutting and hoping to have everything they were going to have before."
The software maker is trimming costs for travel, freezing wages, scaling back a massive expansion to its Redmond campus and looking to cut what it spends on contractors and vendors by up to 15 per cent.
Ballmer said Microsoft cut operating expenses by $600 million in the quarter, but that it wasn't enough. The job cuts will reduce operating costs by $1.5 billion as Microsoft prepares for lower revenue and earnings in the second half of the year, the company said.
Chief financial officer Chris Liddell said during the call that Microsoft will write down severance costs for the 1,400 workers laid off on Thursday in the third quarter, and record the rest as they occur. Liddell said he expects the total charges to be less than $100 million.
Liddell told analysts to expect the second half of the year to look about as grim as the second quarter, with weakness persisting in Windows sa
les as PC shipments remain depressed.
Beyond the next six months, Ballmer added that he doesn't expect the technology sector to bounce back to recent highs. Instead, said he expects the stagnation to persist for a year or more, followed by slow growth.
Microsoft said profit in the last quarter fell to $4.17 billion, or 47 cents per share, from year-ago earnings of $4.71 billion, or 50 cents per share.
Total revenue edged up 2 per cent to $16.63 billion. The results missed Wall Street's forecast for earnings of 49 cents per share on sales of $17.08 billion.
Microsoft shares fell $2.27, or 11.7 percent, to close at a 52-week low of $17.11.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
5 tips to keep your inbox safe
Emails asking people to send money abroad so that they can collect lottery money are passe now. Latest is a new online scam with an all new modus operandi that has left even security experts clueless.
Recently a college student received an email from his friend asking for 1,200 pounds (Rs 85,000) as he had lost his wallet. It came from the account of someone she knew and even bore his digital signature. However, later she found out that his friend never wrote the email.
Few months back, a businessman approached the cyber crime cell after some of his friends received a mail from his Hotmail account requesting them to send him Rs 1.27 lakh.
And mind you, such incidents are on a rise, security experts have warned that cyber criminals are hacking mail accounts and sending mails to addresses in the contact list to extract money.
So, how can you make sure you don't become a victim of one? Here are five golden rules to follow to make sure you don't become a victim.
Separate personal and official IDs
Also, be sure of the password you use. Remember, while easy passwords leave little room for forgetting, they leave a lot of scope for tinkering by cyber hackers.
With Internet becoming an important repository of our personal information both financial and otherwise, the stakes can be high if the same is tampered with.
So try using some mixed combos that can secure your mail. Length is a huge advantage to memorise your password. And always remember your name, spouse name, children names or birthdays are a strict no no.
Don't click tempting links
| In case you receive emails saying 'You have won $50,000' or 'You won a trip to US', beware. There is surely a hidden trap in it. Don't get tempted by such mails as these may lead you to malicious sites. You may end up downloading a virus or in a worst case surrender your computer to a hacker. Also, do not click on random links, especially on invitation from ‘hot sirens.’ Watch out for email-related scams such as phishing lotteries, windfalls, jobs, gifts, inheritance, etc. If you receive an email asking you to give your personal information by clicking a website link in the email, do not do so. Instead, go directly to the sender’s website by typing in the sender’s website address. Install security software
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Sunday, January 11, 2009
10 technology trends of 2009
| The year that went by set the foundation for those technologies that are expected to take off in 2009, with focus on energy efficiency and mobility -- a bit greener and a lot more faster. Here are 10 of them to watch out for this year: Mobile applications
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| Lighting will shift to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). They consume less power and last longer, and you spend less on backup. Their high cost means that we'll see more power utilities subsidising CFLs. You'll also see more LED lighting. Already popular for traffic lights and pocket torches, they'll enter areas where long life and low power offset high initial cost: vehicle and aircraft cabins, and some homes and offices. One will also see electro-luminescence or EL, which has for years lit aircraft cockpits and 'Indiglo' watches. EL panels cover large areas - backlighting a ceiling or wall, drawing less power than a small light bulb. | |
| GPS entered the Indian market in 2007 with maps. Last year saw several products, and software for phones - especially Google Maps and Nokia Maps. In 2009, GPS will enter sub-Rs.10, 000 mobile phones -- and midrange cars. Up ahead will be 3D GPS landmarks. Nokia Maps 3.0 is testing this for its devices (check http://www.nokia.com/betalabs to see if your phone is compatible). And new tech will combine real-time video with turn-by-turn directions, as with Blaupunkt's TravelPilot 500 "SafeDrive" navigation. The iPhone may also integrate Google Street View images with satellite data, to provide a similar interface. | |
Next-generation networks
| Till 2008, India was stuck with second-generation mobile tech. We trailed in 3G, which Japan launched in 2001, South Korea in 2002. Over 40 countries had 3G networks by early 2008. 3G was finally launched in India last month by the state-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) in the national capital. It will roll out in other parts of India, first from another state-run company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and then from Airtel, Vodafone and others by around mid-2009, thanks to the delay in spectrum auction. 3G allows fast Internet access on the move and fixed access in hard-to-reach areas, without cabling. It spurs new services like mobile video and multimedia. You'll see PCs and laptops with built-in 3G, like Qualcomm's Kayak prototype. Many mid-range handsets are already 3G-ready, so you may not need to change your handset. But don't expect WiMax taking off. While we patiently await it, 3G may overtake this always-around-the-corner technology. | |
| The oil price swings of 2008 (up to over $140 a barrel, then down to under $40) were a gift for our planet. They forced the world to re-look at fuel-efficient cars. Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) went out of fashion. Even in the US, buyers bought smaller cars and hybrids. In India, the quirky Reva electric car generated interest again, and the Civic Hybrid was sold out on a discount scheme. The car tech of 2009 will centre on fuel efficiency. Honda's all-new City will pick up some 'Car of the year' awards, with its blend of space, superb power, and drive ability, combined with fuel efficiency. You'll see more hybrids in India and a range of electric vehicles - from buses to two-wheelers. The fuel cell will power some car models, globally. Other car tech for 2009 will include night vision, head-up displays, fog-penetrating laser scanners... and an advanced anti-collision system from Mercedes (who gave us airbags and ABS). The system brakes automatically, bringing the car to a stop if necessary. | |
Netbooks
| We saw the Asus EeePC last year, and then other netbooks - ultra-portable, minimalist but connected notebook computers at Rs 20k to 30k. Rising global demand and Intel's low power Atom processor are helping flood the market with netbooks. New interface
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Saturday, January 10, 2009
Microsoft delays Windows7 beta
LAS VEGAS: Microsoft Corp has said that it has paused offering downloads of the public test version of its new version of Windows due to "high demand."
The "beta" launch of the highly anticipated update to Microsoft's Windows franchise began early on Friday, but the company had to halt downloads to add more servers. "We are adding servers as fast as we can add them," a Microsoft spokesman said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He declined to say when Windows 7 downloads would resume.
Microsoft said at CES this week that it would let consumers test the next generation of its computer operating system starting Friday.
Microsoft, the world's biggest maker of software, has said Windows 7 will incorporate touch screen technology and allow users to more easily personalize the system. It promised more user-friendly features, such as a new taskbar that previews all open windows from a single application by hovering over the program's icon.
The "beta" launch of the highly anticipated update to Microsoft's Windows franchise began early on Friday, but the company had to halt downloads to add more servers. "We are adding servers as fast as we can add them," a Microsoft spokesman said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He declined to say when Windows 7 downloads would resume.
Microsoft said at CES this week that it would let consumers test the next generation of its computer operating system starting Friday.
Microsoft, the world's biggest maker of software, has said Windows 7 will incorporate touch screen technology and allow users to more easily personalize the system. It promised more user-friendly features, such as a new taskbar that previews all open windows from a single application by hovering over the program's icon.
Nokia touch phone launched in India
Seems, the world's top cellphone maker took some cues from Apple iPhone’s pricing in India, Nokia 5800 is priced at Rs 21,800 (almost Rs 9,000 less than 8GB iPhone and Rs 14,000 less than 16 GB iPhone).
The phone will also feature Nokia's Comes With Music service, which challenges Apple Inc's dominance in the digital music market.
Wondering what are the other specs that Nokia’s contender in the touchscreen phone market offers? Read on to find out.
On the looks front Nokia 5800 has same rounded corners and similar screen like iPhone. The screen size is 81mm (3.2-inch) diagonally, with 640x480-pixel touchscreen display that can play multiple types of video at a high resolution.
Measuring 111 x 51.7 x 15.5 mm, the Nokia 5800 weighs 109 grams. Positioned as a music phone, the phone will be available in black, red, and blue variants.
The phone supports both finger and stylus touch.
The battery life is reportedly as much as nine hours (GSM) or five hours (HSDPA), 35 hours for music playback or three hours of video. The company claims that the standby time is up to 17 days.
Nokia 5800 has 3.2 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens and a dual-LED flash with 30 fps video recording. It also has a second backward facing camera.
Nokia 5800 has built-in surround stereo speakers, Nokia Maps, GPS, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth and a top-mounted 3.5mm headphone socket.
Unlike the Apple iPhone, the Nokia 5800 has Flash support, a programme used to power many online video services and websites.
The phone has a Media Bar, a drop down menu that provides direct access to music and entertainment.
A new Contacts Bar lets users highlight four favorite contacts on their homescreen. There is also an option to track digital history of recent text messages, email, phone logs, photos and blog updates.
Priced at Rs 21, 839, Nokia's touchscreen phone will be available at other mobile stores starting 15th January. Currently it is available at all Nokia Priority dealers.
In India Nokia sell phones with no operator lock, unlike Apple iPhone with Bharti and Airtel.
So, seems Nokia 5800 Xpress Music is all set to give tough competition to Apple iPhone which retails at Rs 31,000 for 8GB and Rs 36,000 for 16GB in India. Google phone G1, said to reach India by January end, is also likely to be priced above Rs 20,000.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Yahoo close to hiring new CEO
NEW YORK: Yahoo Inc is nearing the end of its search for a new chief executive officer, with a decision coming possibly as soon as next week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people close to the Internet company.
One of the candidates still being considered is former chief executive officer of engineering software company Autodesk Inc Carol Bartz, according to a person familiar with the matter, the Journal reported.
Yahoo's board is leaning toward a candidate from outside the company, according to people familiar with the matter, who also said Vodafone Group PLC's former Chief Executive Arun Sarin has withdrawn his name, the Journal said.
The board has yet to make an offer and is unlikely to do so before next week, but hopes to announce a new leader before reporting fourth quarter results at the end of the month, according to these people.
A Yahoo spokesman declined to comment. Jerry Yang said in November he would step down as CEO as soon as the board finds a replacement.
One of the candidates still being considered is former chief executive officer of engineering software company Autodesk Inc Carol Bartz, according to a person familiar with the matter, the Journal reported.
Yahoo's board is leaning toward a candidate from outside the company, according to people familiar with the matter, who also said Vodafone Group PLC's former Chief Executive Arun Sarin has withdrawn his name, the Journal said.
The board has yet to make an offer and is unlikely to do so before next week, but hopes to announce a new leader before reporting fourth quarter results at the end of the month, according to these people.
A Yahoo spokesman declined to comment. Jerry Yang said in November he would step down as CEO as soon as the board finds a replacement.
Gmail adds To-do list
Often forget important to-dos? Need help? Google Inc is testing a new Gmail tool designed to help users keep a better track of their tasks daily.
The company has announced a new tool called Tasks that is designed to help Gmail users create their daily to-do list. Tasks sits in the same kind of Window as chats, so it visible while users read e-mail, use the search function or do other tasks, Google's Task Team said in a Gmail Blog post.
The feature, which is coming out of Google Labs, is still in the testing phase, according to a Google spokesman.
To enable Tasks, go to Settings, click the Labs tab (or just click here if you're signed in). Select "Enable" next to "Tasks" and then click "Save Changes" at the bottom. Then, after Gmail refreshes, on the left under the "Contacts" link, you'll see a "Tasks" link. Just click it to get started.
To enter a new task, users just need to click in an empty part of their list and start typing. No buttons to click and it's saved automatically. Hit Return and there's a new task right there.
Gmail users can also easily convert emails into tasks: select one or more messages and go to More Actions > Add to Tasks. (Or turn on keyboard shortcuts and use + t.)
However, there is no time frame for the new feature to be officially added (if at all) to Gmail.
The company has announced a new tool called Tasks that is designed to help Gmail users create their daily to-do list. Tasks sits in the same kind of Window as chats, so it visible while users read e-mail, use the search function or do other tasks, Google's Task Team said in a Gmail Blog post.
The feature, which is coming out of Google Labs, is still in the testing phase, according to a Google spokesman.
To enable Tasks, go to Settings, click the Labs tab (or just click here if you're signed in). Select "Enable" next to "Tasks" and then click "Save Changes" at the bottom. Then, after Gmail refreshes, on the left under the "Contacts" link, you'll see a "Tasks" link. Just click it to get started.
To enter a new task, users just need to click in an empty part of their list and start typing. No buttons to click and it's saved automatically. Hit Return and there's a new task right there.
Gmail users can also easily convert emails into tasks: select one or more messages and go to More Actions > Add to Tasks. (Or turn on keyboard shortcuts and use + t.)
However, there is no time frame for the new feature to be officially added (if at all) to Gmail.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Wikipedia meets $6 million fundraising goal (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO - The nonprofit foundation that runs Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopedia of user-contributed articles, said Friday it has met its $6 million fundraising goal for fiscal 2008.
With about six months left in this year's campaign, the Wikimedia Foundation said it has raised $6.2 million. A flood of donations came in after the site's founder, Jimmy Wales, posted an appeal for support in late December.
The foundation said about 50,000 contributors chipped in a total of $2 million in the space of eight days, bringing the total number of donors to more than 125,000.
The money will go toward improving the software Wikipedia runs on as well as upgrading the servers and Internet bandwidth that accommodate the site's traffic. Wikipedia consistently ranks among the 10 most visited Web sites in the world.
The foundation operates the site without advertising as a matter of principle, making donations critical.
Since its founding in 2001, Wikipedia's fundraising prowess has expanded quickly. The foundation hauled in $1.3 million two years ago and $2.2 million last year.
In March 2008, the site received a $3 million gift from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, to be dispensed in $1 million annual installments. Last month the Stanton Foundation gave $890,000 to make Wikipedia's editing process more user-friendly.
The Wikimedia Foundation hopes the growth in big-name donors will help improve the encyclopedia's uneven reputation for accuracy, both by showing that civic-minded institutions are willing to make an investment and by funding programs that increase outreach to new contributors.
Wikimedia spokesman Jay Walsh said expanding the foundation's Wikipedia Academies will be a major goal in the coming year. The program sends Wikimedia staff to institutions around the world for discussions with experts in different fields, partly in hopes of drawing more academics and professionals to the site.
"There's work to do in getting the word out about how Wikipedia works," Walsh said.
In a thank-you note posted on the site Friday, Wales told donors, "You have proven that Wikipedia matters to you, and that you support our mission: to bring free knowledge to the planet, free of charge and free of advertising."
Recession to steal some glitz from gadget show (AP)
The International Consumer Electronics Show, the largest trade show in the U.S., opens this week in Las Vegas with a full slate of giant TVs and inventive gadgets, despite the pall of a recession hanging over the industry.
The economic downturn will temper the normally dizzying extravaganza, and some attendees are wondering if the whole technology trade show business is past its peak.
"I'm talking to the companies who are sending people, and they're sending two instead of 10," said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey. "It's going to be a shadow of itself."
Last year, 140,000 people went to the show, and there were 2,700 exhibitors. The Consumer Electronics Association, which is hosting, expects the same number of exhibitors this year for the 42nd annual show, but on a slightly smaller floor space: 1.7 million square feet, or about 29 football fields. That's down three football fields from last year.
Jason Oxman, senior vice president of industry affairs at CEA, said several companies have asked to buy meeting-room space, rather than booths on the showroom floor. They're more focused on meeting customers and doing business than putting on large displays, he said.
That fits with a cooler economic climate. The booths are chapels to conspicuous consumption where companies one-up each other with bigger and badder gadgets, like the 150-inch plasma TV Panasonic Corp. displayed last year.
Oxman expects more than 130,000 attendees, based on the number who have registered. But registering was free before Oct. 31 (it's now $100), and companies wanting to save on airfare and hotels may be deciding not to follow up on their registrations.
"We're still viewing CES as a major event for the industry and a launch point," said Tim Alessi, the director of product development at the U.S. arm of South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. The company will be showing 35 new LCD TV models, among other products. But at the same time, LG is looking at how many employees it really needs to send, and Alessi expects the number to be down slightly from last year.
"That said, we still have a huge booth staff and a lot of dealer and partner meetings set up," Alessi said.
Alessi doesn't expect the economic downturn to be reflected much in LG's product lineup. It won't suddenly be emphasizing smaller TVs, for instance. Nor will the economy likely have a big effect on what other manufacturers are showing, in large part because consumer spending was relatively healthy until late in the year, and companies haven't had time to adjust.
It wasn't until the holiday shopping season, after the credit crunch had turned into a full-blown crisis, that consumers really pulled back. U.S. sales of electronics and appliances fell almost 27 percent from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 according to SpendingPulse, a division of MasterCard Advisors, though appliances probably saw a greater decline than electronics. Sales of TVs and laptop computers held up relatively well, according to NPD Group, but there was no new product category to energize the market like GPS units did the year before.
And with no quick economic recovery in sight, industry watchers expect gadget makers' pain to continue. Research firm DisplaySearch sees sales of flat-panel TVs falling in 2009 for the first time since they appeared on store shelves a decade ago. Industry bellwether Sony Corp. said in December that it would cut 8,000 of its 185,000 jobs, shut plants and reduce its investment in electronics.
But McQuivey, the Forrester analyst, sees more than a temporary economic slump affecting CES.
It used to be a good way to announce new products that would then launch later in the year, but in today's more-competitive industry and media environment, products need to go sale as soon as they're announced, to capitalize on buzz, he believes.
"It's almost like the industry is starting to recognize that these large-scale events are not how you release products," he said.
The number of exhibitors at Germany's CeBit, the world's largest technology trade show, declined to 5,845 last year, from 8,106 in 2001.
Apple Inc. shocked many fans when it said Chief Executive Steve Jobs would not appear at the Macworld Conference & Expo show this week, and that the company itself would not exhibit at the show in the future.
"Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers," it said in a statement.
The reduced importance of Macworld, which is held in San Francisco, actually looks set to benefit CES. The two shows have traditionally been held around the same time, and often overlapped, frustrating people who wanted to attend both. This year, Macworld starts Monday and runs through Friday, while CES starts with press conferences Wednesday and goes through Sunday.
It wouldn't be the first time CES benefited from the troubles of another trade show. The premier tech show in the U.S. used to be the computer-focused Comdex, which was also held in Las Vegas. But the collapse of the Internet boom and declining interest from exhibitors forced it to close after 2003.
Computer companies moved to CES instead, and have remained. Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Intel Corp. are mainstays of the show. Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates traditionally kicked off the show with a keynote speech, but with his withdrawal from active work at the company, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer is replacing him this year. Details on the company's next operating system, Windows 7, are expected in Wednesday night's speech.
With support like that, and a notable lack of competition when it comes to other big technology shows in the U.S., CES has a good chance to weather the stormy economy, even if it has to pull in its sails.
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